Hi Welcome back Lions

1. Hi Welcome back Lions I hope you had a good half term? We will continue to look at the Normans for a few more weeks (actually until 2 weeks before Christmas)

2. This is what we are about: • Week 8 ( this week): is all about how law and order was kept – especially the gory bits! • Week 9: we have looked at the villages – but what was happening in the towns. • Week 10: Back to kings and the church – all about a big row between the 2 are what they people thought about it all! • Week 11: A fun week – exploring what people thought and why they might think it • Week 12 & 13: The History of Christmas and the traditions as they arose through the ages.

3. Law and order

4. Medieval Law and Order • Law and order was very severe in Medieval England. It was believed that people would only learn how to behave properly if they were frightened that something would happen to them if they broke the law. • Even the 'smallest‘ offences often had serious problems • People who were found guilty had to through three ordeals to see if they were guilty: • Ordeal by fire. • Ordeal by water. • Ordeal by combat.

5. The 3 ordeals • Ordeal by fire. A person accused of committing a crime held a red hot iron bar and walked three steps. His hand was then bandaged and left for three days. • If after three days the hand looked better then the person was innocent, if the wound was not better then they were guilty. • Ordeal by water. An accused person was tied up and thrown into water. If they floated then they were guilty of the crime they committed but if they sank then they were innocent. • Ordeal by combat. This was used by noblemen who had been accused of something. They would fight in combat with the person who accused them. Whoever lost was usually dead at the end of the fight.

6. King Henry II did not think that the ordeals were a good way to decide if somebody was innocent or guilty. • In 1154 he did three things that brought peace to England. • 1. He pulled down illegal castles and brought back the laws of Henry I. • 2. He got rid of the three ordeals and replaced them with a trial. • 3. Made judges go around the country and make sure that the law was working. • In 1215, the Pope decided that priests in England must not help with ordeals. As a result, ordeals were replaced by trials by juries. • To start with, these were not popular with the people as they felt that their neighbours might have a grudge against them and use the opportunity of a trial to get their revenge – as you will see.

7. If you were found guilty of a crime you would expect a very bad punishment • Thieves had their hands cut off. • Women who committed murder were strangled and burnt. • People who hunted illegally had their ears cut off. • Prisons cost money so it was cheaper to execute people.

8. There were very few prisons as they cost money and local communities were not prepared to pay for their upkeep. It was cheaper to execute someone for bad crimes or mutilate them and then let them go. • Most towns had a gibbet just outside of it. This was a large wooden pole were the bodies would be left to rot for a few weeks so that people would be put off. • However, such violent punishments clearly did not put off people. In 1202, the city of Lincoln had 114 murders, 89 violent robberies and 65 people were wounded in fights. Only 2 people were executed for these crimes and it can be concluded that many in Lincoln got away with their crime.

9. But lesser crimes were dealt with in the village

10. The Manorial Court The Court is usually held 4 times a year. This is the court most ordinary people have contact with. It deals with those who had not made payments to the Lord or done their work properly Also it deals with arguments between villagers. Serious crimes are tried in the King's court in York. The Lord's Steward is in charge of the court. We all have to attend or we are fined.

11. The Manorial Court 12 villeins are chosen to be the Jury. It is their job to talk to the accused and anyone else involved and then present the evidence in court and if they find the accused guilty to decide on the punishment. Henry says it a rotten job. If the Steward thinks you are being too lenient he can punish you. If the accused think you are being too harsh they hate you. You have to live in the same village afterwards. Punishments are usually fines or some type of public disgrace, prison is very rare.

12. The Hue and Cry If anyone in the village is attacked or sees a stranger that they think is acting suspiciously they must raise the - HUE AND CRY This means that all the men in the village must stop what they are doing when they hear the hue and cry and join in the chase.Anyone who does not join in the hue and cry will be brought to the manorial court and fined.

13. Tithings There are no policemen to keep law and order in our village.The law says that all men in the village have to be organised into a group of ten which is called a - TITHING The men in the tithing are supposed to make sure they all behave properly. If one of the tithing breaks the law the rest have to say who the culprit is. If they don't they will all be punished.

14. Public Disgrace The ducking stool is mainly used as a punishment for women who disobey or constantly scold their husbands to remind them of their place. You are bound hand and foot to the stool and lowered in to the pond as many a three times. The men all laugh, but when Agnes Smart was ducked she was kept under so long that she was unconscious when they brought her up and she nearly died. The threat of it makes me think how I act.

15. Public Disgrace The stocks are used for disorderly behaviour. James Lighthead and Roger Strong were sentenced to 24 hours in them at the last court for being drunk and brawling in the meadow. We threw rotten fruit at them and Roger's lip was badly split.

16. William Jordan, villein, for bad ploughing of the Lord's land. Alex, Gilbert and Henry badly beat Rufus after an argument about firewood. Henry Godswein refused to do the second Boon work of the autumn. Robert's oxen wandered into the north field and damaged the Lord's barley. Emma called the Hue and Cry when Maud struck her but it wasn’t carried out. Agnes, who is poor, gave birth to a child when she was not married. Alice Miller for brewing weak beer and selling it before it was officially tasted. John Lane broke his stepmother's wrist with a stick in her own house. Extracts from the Manorial Court RecordsThese are the kinds of ‘crimes’ that people were in court for

17. The value of money in Medieval times Pre-Decimal money (before 1971) is referred to in the Wharram Percy records. 10s and 4d meant Ten Shillings and 4 pence. Old pence as they are now called had the letter d. after them not a p. There were 12d (old pence) in a shilling (5p today) and 20 shillings in a pound. That made 240d (old pence) in a pound instead of 100p today. The value, buying power, of money then can't be compared with today. The best way to imagine how much money was worth is to look at the pay people received then and how much things cost. Think of a fine as a number of days pay not 6d. 1s 4d to the slater for repairing the Manor House roof over 16 days, plus his food. 1s 3d to the thatcher for thatching the stable and dovecote over 20 days. 4d to the mason for mending the granary wall over 2 days. Ken the Baker paid 3s 4d to the Lord for 6 months rent of one oven. Villeins earnt hardly any money. Fines could be paid in produce.

18. William Jordan for bad ploughing of the Lord's land fined 6d (6 old pence) Craftsmen's wages were about 1d to 2d a day

19. Alex, Gilbert and Henry badly beat Rufus after an argument about firewood. Were all fined 6d and they had to pay 12d damages to Rufus between them.

20. Henry Godswein refused to do the second Boon work of the autumn. Was fined 2 shillings.

21. Robert Robert's oxen wandered into the north field and damaged the Lord's barley. Was fined 6d.

22. Emma called the Hue and Cry when Maud struck her but it wasn’t carried out. The whole village was fined 2 shillings between them for not taking up the hue and cry.

23. Agnes, who is poor, gave birth to a child when she was not married. She was not given a fine because she was poor.

24. Alice Miller for brewing weak beer and selling it before it was officially tasted. Was fined 2 shillings.

25. John Lane broke his stepmother's wrist with a stick in her own house. Was put into the stocks for 24 hours.

26. Homework • I want 6 sentences to use some of the ideas we have learnt about today. I will turn the best ones into a word search. • e.g. if this had been for last week, I might have thought up this one: • A tournament is a competition between Knights • To make it useful for putting in the word search, choose your missing word and put that is the Missing Word box in CAPITAL LETTERS • Then put the sentence with the word left out in the Sentence box like this: • A __________ is a competition between knights • So 6 short sentences about ideas from the lesson in the box, like this